Something to Prove
by mike wyer
Summary: Lash, Colin and Rachel are pitted against an old and dangerous foe. All hope of backup is lost. They face the icy tundra with nothing but their wits and the small force under their command. The past awaits them beneath the snow.
1. Chapter 1: Communication Problems

Hello people! This is my first AW fanfic so please R+R, any constructive critisisms would be very much appreciated. Flames will be read. Please enjoy my work and tell me what you think so I can improve any future submissions. Thanks.

Wyer.

**Something to Prove **

**Chapter 1**

On the 14th of November, Orange Star lost contact with one of their geostationary communications satellites orbiting over Omega Land. After an investigation, it was found to have been caused by a "rogue celestial body" This meant a lot of things to a lot of people, mostly starting with the word "meteor" and ending with the word "accident". Those who really counted, though, knew it could only mean one thing.

One such person sat at her desk, reading the investigation report with a mixture of disgust at the ignorance of the author and dread of what may really be happening. The report had been able to reach her by a chain of mobile relay stations but their power was limited and had run down approximately an hour ago. The girl wrapped her battered black trench coat tightly around her slender frame to keep out the cold of the dank air in the barracks. She ran her slim fingers through her wild, unkempt, black hair and slammed her laptop shut. She inspected herself in the mirror before leaving. As well as her coat, she wore a black strappy top, well worn combat shorts and black opaque tights. Passable, she thought as she pulled on her boots.

Quickly she left her quarters and headed out, in a blustery blizzard, towards the main HQ building. Most of Omega Land had been reduced to an infertile wasteland during the last war by the Black Crystals. This area in particular had been turned into a snowy desert by the clone of Olaf that they had fought here. She felt a pang of regret, more for the current frosty conditions in which she had to work than the actual environmental damage. After all, she had been on Black Hole's side until they had tried to kill Hawke and herself.

"Uh… Commander Lash? You there ma'am?" The sentry at the main entrance broke her bitter reverie.

"Yeah I'm here sergeant! Tee hee!" She chirped, suddenly back in the present. "Here's my authorisation." She flashed her ID card. The sentry chuckled.

"Thank you ma'am. Guess I'm the first to catch the ferocious Mistress Lash daydreaming"

"Tell anyone and I'll break your neck!" she riposted with a giggle. The sentry nodded and Lash carried on inside. He was the first to catch her, but it wasn't the first time it had happened since Hawke's disappearance. She thought of Hawke everyday but she knew it wouldn't bring him back. She could only wait and hope.

Inside, the heating had been fixed and Lash gratefully removed her button-sleeve trench coat and let the warm air massage the chill out of her body. She turned to see a figure marching towards her. She was a blonde haired woman dressed in Orange Star uniform with an officer's cap. The woman stopped and Lash gave her a sloppy salute which was returned with much more sharpness and enthusiasm.

"Rachel!" Lash greeted her. "What can I do for you?" Rachel was the closest thing to a friend Lash had made since joining the Allied Nations and was also her superior officer. Since they had been stationed on the base

"Did you get a copy of the report?" she inquired hurriedly.

"Yes. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lash replied, detecting the urgency in Rachel's voice.

"That it was definitely not an accident? Yes. And we've seen someone use meteors before, but I thought he was dead. I thought Hawke killed him." Rachel's voice wavered as she thought of the implications.

"Rachel, I know it's unthinkable, but the current Black Hole do not have the resources to build something to do this, plus they don't have me to design it. No traces of any weapons have been found near the impact site either. It's him, Rachel, he's alive and he's coming back.

Koal tapped his foot in time with the drips from the roof of the cavern hideout. Stalactites hung above the heads of the assembled Bolt Guard like the sword of Damocles. The three of them had been planning a guerrilla action against the Allied Nations for months. Then came the report of the destruction of the Orange Star satellite. That had put the Allies on alert and put pay to their plans.

"What I'm saying is," said Kindle, a woman who had amazingly tall red hair and wore more make up than the combined members of KISS. "If it wasn't you and it wasn't you," she continued turning to Jugger, a giant, spherical, polycarbonate man-machine, "then who was it?"

"Uh… on the news they said it was an accident." Koal hazarded, adjusting his Tengu mask nervously. "Maybe we're just being paranoid. We need more intel, that's all."

"Probability that Allied Nations HQ is at alert status… 60" Jugger droned. Koal was about to swear at him when the ground began to shake violently. "Analysis… tremor caused by artillery fire."

"WHAT?" Fumed Kindle, pulling a face that cracked her foundation. Another explosion and a hole erupted in the cavern roof.

Immediately, Special Forces troops began to rappel in through the gap. Instead of the Orange Star troops that Kindle thought had finally caught up with them, the invaders wore the uniform of Black Hole. The troops forced the three COs to their knees at gunpoint and handcuffed Koal and Kindle. Jugger let out an arc of electricity which stunned his captors. He was ready to take on the other guards, machine gun rounds pinging off his reactive armour. Another figure dropped into the hole, unaided by a rope. He was a huge man with muscles like thick cables. He wore an open, brown, leather bomber-jacket, rose-tinted goggles and a spiked helmet. The others instantly recognised him.

"Flak…" Kindle cursed. The giant man bounded towards the bulbous form of Jugger, the electric field not so much as breaking his stride. He pounced, and wrestled the living calculator to the ground. Stalking from the shadows came his colleague: The tall, slender, pale, almost elegant Adder. Slowly and carefully he placed a small device on Jugger's hull. Immediately, the Bolt Guard CO stopped struggling and lay still. Adder stood up straight with a swish of his long, violet hair.

"Sorry my dear fellows. Orders from the great leader of Black Hole I'm afraid. You're coming with us." His voice was high pitched and arrogant.

"Von Bolt is dead!" protested the now livid Kindle, "He's gone! There is no great leader any more!"

"Von Bolt… no more great leader… Hah hah! You are a funny woman Kindle, I'll give you that!" Adder laughed out loud. "Now as I said earlier, our great leader wishes to give you his…attention in person." It took Kindle a few seconds to work out what he had meant. When she did, she could only fight back the tears as she realised her lifespan was measured in days if not hours.

The other CO that was stationed on the base was Colin of Blue Moon. When Lash had first fought against him, she had thought he was an amateur who won only because of beginners luck. But during the last war and the one before it, she had seen him go from strength to strength, becoming more wise and independent every day. Blue Moon was still weary of her because of the damage she caused them in the Macro Land conflict. Colin, however, accepted her as a true ally in light of her actions later on in the third war with Black Hole. He sat with her and Rachel at the pine conference table. Physically, he was a man of small stature with thick, brown, intricately combed hair. He wore a blue dress-uniform complete with medals. He regarded the others with puzzlement as they explained the report and their theories to him.

"So, you believe that this wasn't an accident despite the lack of evidence. Although I-I…I do agree that it is rather convenient for the enemy that the Allies have no commsat over what is now b-basically frontier land." He stated with a stutter. It was one thing he had retained from his early days as a CO. It made people underestimate him, usually a fatal mistake. "And you believe that a meteor was manipulated s-somehow to destroy the satellite"

"Yep." Replied Lash simply.

"But who, with such little in the way of resources, could possibly manipulate a… a…oh…"

"Yeah," Lash laughed mirthlessly, "We believe that Sturm is behind the attack. "I don't know how he could have survived but he must have. No-one else has this kind of ability and meteors don't just come from nowhere."

"What puzzles me is what Black Hole could possibly want in this place." Said Rachel, "Who is attacking is not the real problem at hand here, it's why they're attacking we need to know to have any chance of stopping them."

"An interesting point, there's nothing here but snow. Either they're on to a loser or they know something we don't." Lash agreed.

"It's s-settled then, we start the investigation at dawn. Meanwhile we should increase the number of patrols to keep watch for the enemy. We can't send for any more b-backup so we must take care" And with that the three COs convened the meeting and returned to their individual quarters for the night.

As darkness fell over the snow fields, a lone shadow crept up the side of the side of the hills to the south of the allied base. It stopped again and became invisible in the blizzard. The silhouetted figure produced a pair of binoculars. The base had stepped up its recon patrols. It didn't faze him. He'd survived worse. He'd been in the mountains with little or no shelter practically since the destruction of von Bolt's HQ. A couple of jeeps with mounted machine guns weren't going to make much of a difference, were they? Above all he had to survive. He had to warn Lash about what was happening, but he had to remain hidden at all costs. The enemy could not know that he was still alive. He put away his binoculars and retreated to lower ground where there was more cover. Hawke started to limber up for the hundred metre dash between this piece of cover and the first piece of cover on the flat of the plain. No turning back now, he thought as he leapt from the sparse scrub into the open.


	2. Chapter 2: Seeing Ghosts

Finally my second chapter is up! Again, please R+R and any constructive criticisms would be helpful.

Thanks.

Wyer.

**Something to Prove**

**Chapter 2**

Olaf leaned back in his chair, shifting his large bulk into a more comfortable position. The report from the ice base was late. When he'd tried to get through to them, the comms officer had given him some nonsense about the Orange Star satellite being out of commission. He would have sent a force to investigate but his men were still cleaning up the mess that vile girl, Lash, had made in his home town. In the second war she had led the Black Hole war machine to his town and obliterated it. Where he used to live, the town square, everything was gone thanks to her! And now she was supposed to be on his side. Preposterous, he thought, picturing the face of his nemesis and growling involuntarily. It was probably her who caused the breakdown in the first place, the poisonous little viper that she is. She could turn on them at any time. He had relayed his feelings to his fellow Blue Moon COs on many an occasion, but Colin had always said "She's our ally and she deserves our respect". That boy was turning into a real upstart. That's what happens when he spends too much time with Grit, Olaf decided and he brushed the crumbs out of his voluminous, brown beard. It would be better if Sasha and Grit didn't hear about this little incident; they would only have an attack of conscience anyway.

Back in her draughty quarters, Lash had changed out of her clothes into a long t-shirt, one of Hawke's, and climbed into bed. She pulled the thick duvet tightly around her. Being a CO, she got first pick of the few luxuries on the backwater base. She tried fervently to go to sleep, letting the darkness consume her, but her head was spinning with worries and speculation. Thoughts about the satellite, about the inconclusive meeting with Colin and Rachel, and about Him. She clutched the t-shirt that she was wearing and let out a cleansing breath. When she finally fell asleep, she was no more relaxed. She tossed and murmured in her shallow, restless slumber and woke with a start. She had felt a breeze across her skin. She sat up, adrenaline coursing through her, imbuing her with alertness despite her fatigue. A noise, a slight shuffle.

"Who's there?" Lash shouted, reaching for her gun. Too late. An arm came up around her throat, another seizing her wrist before she could grasp her sidearm. Her assailant dragged the thrashing girl back, away from her stowed handgun. She could smell him, his scent was familiar.

"I'm sorry." the figure whispered as he let go of her arm and brought up a cloth to her face. Lash gasped as he did so. Bad move. She took a lung-full of chloroform. As she crashed to the ground and began to drift into unconsciousness, she was sure she saw a shock of white hair.

Hawke stood over the form of Lash, she looked peaceful. She only ever looked peaceful when she was asleep. He deposited his note, completing his mission objective, and looked back at the slumped girl. Yes, he decided, she looks just like her mother. He stroked her cheek.

"Goodnight." He told her, wishing that she could hear him. And he left by the window he had come through.

The way back to the mountain-side was easier going than the way there. On the way to the base, he had come much closer to detection than he would have liked. Now he had timed his escape for a change of the watch. Otherwise, perfect, he thought contentedly. From his previous hiding place he surveyed the scene once again. It was up to her now. He could only wait and see

Adder straightened up his uniform and his posture before entering the last room of the grimy excavation site. He absolutely despised the dirt and dampness but he did as he was told and his leader had already relocated the operation to the site of their discovery. Opening the door slowly and carefully, he entered the capacious room and gave a grandiose salute to the figure that loomed there. On hearing the arrival of the stick-thin CO, the giant turned to face him. Adder looked into the cold pits of his commander's eyes which shone a malevolent green. The massive form was covered from head to toe in orange, reactive armour plating. Perched on his helm was an officer's peaked hat. Magenta clouds belched from his rebreather mask as he spoke.

"Commander Adder, I am content with this find," the voice was mechanical and menacing, not unlike wire wool churning through a rusty meat-grinder, "how soon can you get this equipment operational?"

"Very soon, Commander Sturm." Adder bowed, "My men shall not rest until it is done. We will do everything in our…"

"Good, leave me." The armoured monster finished abruptly. Adder looked on expectantly for a second or two, and then nodded and left his commander to his thoughts.

As he closed the door behind him, the pale CO frowned to himself. Odd, he thought. Usually Sturm would have gone off on a tangent about his plan and then would have told Adder to hurry up or he would do something nasty with a rock drill and the slender man's spine. He shrugged off his confusion and contented himself with the fact that he'd caught the great leader in a rare pensive moment. An "audience" with the prisoners would cheer him up, he finally decided. The reactivation sequence could wait.

Colin woke up to a scene of pandemonium. Soldiers were rushing out towards the West Barracks hastily like ants out of a kicked nest. He had to physically block the corridor (no mean feat for one of such small stature) to make one of them stop.

"Sergeant! W-what is happening here?" stammered he dazed CO. "Why is everyone rushing and…and d-dear god man! Do you call that p-proper, full uniform?"

"Commander Lash has been attacked sir!" Responded the hastily dressed sergeant, who Colin now recognised as the sentry from the main HQ entrance; Sergeant Brightling. "Someone got past our patrols and broke in! The recon patrols saw him on his way out and opened fire. He escaped I'm afraid sir."

"As you were Brightling." The short commander ordered, rendered incredulous by the news. As the sentry hurried on, Colin seized his jacket and joined the mass exodus. Outside, the assembled soldiers in various states of dress were organised by barking NCOs into search teams to find the intruder. In retrospect he found the spectacle intensely amusing, but at the time he had greater concerns. He jogged to the barracks entrance and rounded the corner to Lash's quarters. The sight made his heart sink. She was sat on her bed, hunched over. Her eyes were streaming with tears and her pale skin was slick with sweat. She was shaking terribly. Colin took a tentative step forwards.

"Lash, its m-me Colin." He whispered. She looked up at him slowly; her eyes were puffy, red and glazed. The distressed girl stood up, flung her arms around him, and began to sob again. She was cold. She was only dressed in a t-shirt and that was soaked through with sweat. Lash was saying something but Colin couldn't make it out.

"What happened?" Colin turned to face the stern voice, allowing Lash to slump back onto her bed.

"S-she was attacked. The intruder…"

"He's alive," interrupted Lash, speaking her first coherent words of the morning, "he's really alive!"

"Who is?" Replied Colin, bemused by the sudden outburst. Rachel knew who she meant.

"Lash …you know Hawke died. He's not back." She had heard it before. Lash clung onto a desperate hope that he was alive but there was no way he could have possibly survived. This was the one thing about Lash that Rachel couldn't handle and had no time or patience for. They were friends but they were also Commanding Officers and had to keep a realistic outlook.

"…Look at this." Lash said producing a piece of paper. Rachel snatched it with a sigh. A set of coordinates signed "Birdbrain", "I always used to call him that." She explained.

"Lash, I'm sorry but it doesn't mean he's alive. It's probably a trap; an enemy trick." Rachel stated flatly. The distraught girl said nothing and Colin just looked on uncomfortably. He knew that Rachel was probably right but Lash was clearly upset. She was only seventeen, a child-soldier for years before in the cruel regime of Black Hole. She was bound to have issues that needed attention.

Rachel turned to leave.

"We'll discuss our next course of action at the main HQ in one hour. Get ready and calm yourself down before then."

Kindle flew backwards with the force of the impact and crashed into the wall. She slumped onto the floor, winded. Flak stepped in to deliver another blow but a gesture from Adder told him to stop. Jugger had been promptly EMPed and placed on a gurney and Koal followed, phlegmatic as ever. Only Kindle had struggled. This was the fourth altercation on the way to the main chamber and it was really beginning to grate. Luckily, they were nearly there. Flak hoisted the unconscious, scarlet-haired woman over his shoulder and carted her off into the largest part of the cavern.

The Great Leader was waiting. By this time, Kindle had come around and started spitting venom again at once.

"So it is true, you are back. Like it matters. What could you possible hope to achieve now that the whole world, even your former countrymen, are against you!" she hissed. Sturm turned his armoured bulk to face her.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked, pointing behind him as he did. Kindle looked past him. It was a large, square, angular-roofed structure. Stacks and heat-sinks protruded from every surface and emblazoned on the front was the swirling insignia of Black Hole. She recognised the building at once.

"It's a factory from the second war, so what?" For some reason, Sturm found this amusing. He threw back his head and laughed, ejecting pink steam as he did.

"The factory is just the start. What it contains is the most exciting part." elaborated Adder from his master's side. "It houses all of the designs and prototypes that we didn't get to use in the second war… Lash inventions of course. These could have taken Omega Land for Black Hole. Not like your ineffectual Oozium." he continued, pronouncing the last word with more than a little disgust. "One of the little runt's inventions interests us greatly. I think she called it a Hydrogen Bomb"


	3. Chapter 3: Death Over Dinner

**Something to Prove**

**Chapter 3**

Hawke winced as a sharp needle of pain lanced through his shoulder as he began to dab the surgical alcohol into the small ragged wound. His escape hadn't gone quite as he'd expected. They'd seen him escape and followed him back to his camp. The bushes were raked with sub-machine gun fire. If he had left the cover of the bushes, then the guards might have recognised him and held their fire. Stealth, however, was key to his plan. He was lucky to get away with only one direct hit. The alcohol stung but it was better than an infection. He put down the blood soaked pad and focused. He emptied his mind of thoughts, of the pain, of everything. His higher brain functions finally gave way and he could hear the thrumming, see the swirling, and feel the life of everything around him. His consciousness drifted out of his body and into the world around him. The ground crumbled as trees fell and disintegrated, grass withered and died. Closer now, he could almost taste it. It was all his. Hawke opened his eyes and sensory information poured back into his head. He checked his shoulder. The wound had completely healed. There wasn't even a scar. Hawke wasn't sure where he'd acquired the power of the Black Wave but it was definitely the reason he was still alive. He looked around mournfully at the devastation he had just caused. Once again the Earth had restored his body, sacrificing itself in the process. He gave silent thanks and moved towards his next objective.

Traversing the mountainside was much easier now that his shoulder had healed and he swept over the uneven ground with ease. He finally reached his vantage point and dropped to into a patch of scrub, drawing his field glasses in one fluid motion. Now came the hardest part; waiting.

The mood was dark in the main HQ building. The recon squads had to be reprimanded for letting the intruder slip. Rachel had taken on that duty with what Colin thought was a little too much enthusiasm. Ever since the trouble in the West barracks she had been ready to burst. Colin was waiting in the War Room, ready to present his thoughts to Rachel. Whether or not they'd fall on deaf ears remained to be seen. The War Room was a voluminous, domed room with a centre-piece of an enormous, circular wooden table covered mostly with a map of Omega Land. Within ten minutes, the Orange Star CO arrived, apparently having cooled off.

"Any sign of Lash yet" She huffed wearily. Colin shook his head. He hadn't seen the girl since the barracks incident. It was better to leave her alone anyway.

"Hey losers! Did I miss anything?" chirped a voice from behind them. Lash stepped up to a chair and slumped into it under a sharp gaze from the Orange Star side of the table. Colin just smiled.

"Evening Lash." said Rachel sternly. To Colin's surprise, her expression suddenly warmed, "Feeling better?"

"Yep! So what happens now?" Colin found it hard to believe, judging by their earlier behaviour, that the two girls were friends. They were both strong women and despite her earlier moment of weakness, Lash was now back to her confident and carefree self.

"Commander Colin!" Rachel barked, bringing his daydream to a sharp close, "Stop smirking and give the lady your status report!"

"Yes ma'am! Well, hazmat have ch-checked the note for b-biological and chemical agents and …heh…well, we've got nothing to worry about there. It's these coordinates I'm worried about. Th-they could well be a trap, but we still have no other idea w-what the enemy is up to. I-it might be worth sending out the scouts." Rachel, in overall command of the base, mulled over the idea.

"Very well," she conceded, "but I want them to pull out at the first sign of trouble. We simply can't afford to lose them, and with no comms to call for backup…"

"It's decided then! We'll mobilise the recon units!" finished Lash, slamming her fist on the varnished pine table. "Tee hee hee! Time to go hunting!"

Factories were such dirty places, Adder thought, and noisy too. However, the gain in fire power could preserve his way of life, the Black Hole way of life. But still, he thought, flicking a wad of axel grease off his hand and searching for a tissue, it could do with a clean. He checked his watch, fourteen hundred hours. Time to see the boss. General Sturm was having fun with Kindle. Adder almost felt sorry for the woman…almost. She hadn't done anything that could really put him in danger; she was just a victim of her own stupidity. Within minutes he reached Sturm's hastily constructed throne room. The room itself was quite small and judging by the dents and red stains in the walls, Flak and Sturm had just played another game of "human tennis" with their prisoners. Indeed, as he looked around, he saw Kindle slumped on the floor; her scarlet hair was now lank. She was a shell, a shadow of her former self.

"Commander Adder," The booming voice always caught him off guard. "You're just in time. I was thinking of giving these rats one more chance." He sniggered, gesturing towards the prisoners. "What say you?" Adder really wasn't in any position to argue but this was definitely not like Sturm. Keeping them alive? What was he thinking?

"What did you have in mind Sir? The thin man replied tentatively. Sturm turned away from Adder to address the prisoners. Kindle had dragged herself upright. Her face, although almost utterly destroyed, still managed to display her arrogant rage. Jugger was in several parts. His central core, which contained his few remaining biological parts, had been severed from his self-defence systems and armour. Koal was still, by and large, intact. He was separated from his beloved tanto but had escaped the worst part of his captors' attention. Sturm's gaze flicked between each of them.

"Renounce the ideology of von Bolt," he began, "Throw yourselves at my feet and you may join us. If not, we'll have our fun with you and then you will die. Simple decision, what's it to be?"

"Never!" screeched Kindle, her throat parched and hoarse.

"Probability of this unit accepting negotiation terms….0." Jugger whirred. "Recommended course of action….shove your deal up your big, fat…." Adder flicked the switch on the EMP generator that was now permanently attached to the cyborg.

All eyes were on Koal.

"I…I renounce von Bolt and humbly submit my service the great leader of Black Hole. All hail Sturm!" He blurted, dropping to his knees. Kindle's jaw dropped and Adder and Sturm looked at each other with raised eyebrows, all as shocked as each other.

"Hah!" Sturm bellowed. He turned to a sentry. "Soldier! Get this man a uniform and…" He was cut off by the wail of sirens. "Report!"

"Someone has set off the alarms." A very nervous looking comms officer piped up. Sturm scowled at him murderously.

"Adder! Which units are ready for battle?"

"The factory hasn't finished preparations yet. Production of a complete armour division won't be finished for another few hours. However, we do have the existing prototypes and I think I have just the thing for this situation."

Lieutenant Redmond lowered his field glasses and lowered himself back into the passenger seat of the recon hummer as the scout squad thundered across the snowy plane towards the heading they were given. He lowered the advanced-polymer visor of his Black Hole issue combat suit. The lieutenant had fought against the allies in the second war. Ever since Lash and Hawke's troops had been integrated with the allied nations, they removed the grotesque gas masks that they wore but kept the visored body armour. It was Redmond's platoon that had been responsible for guarding the West barracks. He had failed Commander Lash once, they wouldn't fail her again.

"We've reached the coordinates sir!" The driver told him. The driver was an Orange Star private, another result of the integration. He was good though and that's what mattered

"Halt here!" The scout car stopped and the other four hummers fell in behind it. Redmond radioed the other cars. "Anyone see anything?" The answers came back, all negative.

"Sorry LT. We've got nothing!" The final reply came from his second-in-command, a keen eyed NCO from Green Earth. Oh great, he thought. "Wait!"

"What is it sergeant?"

"Half a klick to the North, where the forest starts." The lieutenant scooped up his field glasses again. He turned to face the pine forest. Still nothing. "There!" The sergeant and his superior both exclaimed. Nothing definite, just movement. Redmond managed to resolve the shape and adjusted the focus on the glasses…then it started to accelerate.

The shape bounded out of the shadows on four powerful legs which supported a body which was spherical save for an unidentified oblong structure attached to the back, a seven-barrelled Gatling gun and the main cannon on the front, 140mm by Redmond's guess. It was like a neotank's big brother.

"Retreat! All units retreat!" He ordered calmly, but quickly, into the radio. They couldn't fight the thing but they could outrun it! The Gatling tore into the ground where the lieutenant's hummer was sitting half a second ago, throwing up a spray of rapidly melting snow. The gunners on the back of the scout cars opened fire with their machine guns. They wouldn't do any damage but could possibly distract the aim of whoever was piloting that thing. A couple of stray Gatling shells hit car five, killing the gunner and shredding the left-rear tyre. The driver nearly had the hummer stabilised when the striding machine's cannon spoke. The car was torn apart, leaving nothing but smouldering parts. Their sacrifice, though, had allowed the remaining four cars to gain valuable ground on the walking tank as it concentrated on targeting. The cars shot into the cover of the wooded area to the south and a cheer went up when their pursuer suddenly halted. They didn't hear the shrieking.

Car two disintegrated as the missile penetrated the engine block and detonated.

Adder flicked a switch on the control panel and the missile rack cycled. He selected all of the missile tubes and fired a salvo into the woods. A raging plume of fire rose, throwing the forest into stark relief. The command-pattern neotank was magnificent, combing armour, firepower and range. The Gatling also gave it an anti-infantry and anti-air edge. The intruders were gone, but their masters wouldn't take long to notice that they hadn't returned. They had been found. It was time for a show of force.

Hawke sighed. The place had to be found and losses were expected. Yet he still watched the inferno with a sense of grief. Good men had died down there. It couldn't have been avoided though. It was war, plain and simple. The second phase of his plan was complete with what he told himself were minimal casualties. More waiting now. He hated it, but one thing about faking your own death is that it takes a lot longer to get things done. He put away his binoculars and busied himself with catching dinner.

Colin was puzzled, slightly disgusted and yet somehow entertained. Lash hadn't been taught to eat with a knife and fork forher entire life under Black Hole. Watching her trying to tackle her evening meal was always amusing in a cruel way. Despite Commander Jess's best attempts, she was still having trouble with "the whole posh eating thing" as Lash called it. Just one more vulnerability that lay under her devil-may-care exterior. Colin didn't mind. If anything, they made him like her more.

She was trying to hack into a chicken "Kiev". She looked to see who was watching and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth, bringing forth a chuckle from the Blue Moon end of the table.

" 'at 'ou 'aughing at?" She said, spraying crumbs from her full mouth.

"N-nothing." He replied a little too quickly. Lash finished chewing and swallowed hard. She wiped her face in her sleeve.

"You'd better not be laughing at me!" She hissed, contorting her feline features into a frightening scowl. Colin turned white. A veil of uncomfortable silence fell on the room for a very long ten seconds. "Tee hee! Got ya!" She giggled suddenly. The Blue Moon CO blushed and let his head fall into his hands but eventually allowed himself to join in with Lash's riotous fit of laughter. "Aww! Poor Colin!" The girl cooed. "I can't help it; you look so cute when you're embarrassed!" Colin went from red to purple. "Hee hee! Just like that!" The door slammed, causing them both to look around. Rachel walked in, the grave look on her face putting the mirth on hold. The two COs saluted her and she returned it slowly.

"The recon squad's back. What's left of it, that is." She sighed.

"What? How many…" Colin began.

"80 casualties. All vehicles were destroyed. Lieutenant Redmond, his gunner and the driver survived. Barely. He's pretty battered but ready to report."

"I'll see to him." Lash decided "He's one of my boys." She stood up and turned to leave. Colin, smiling in admiration, watched her as she walked out.

"What are you grinning at?" Rachel asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"N-nothing at all ma'am!" Colin lied, blatantly.


	4. Chapter 4: The Camera Never Lies

**Something to Prove**

**Chapter 4**

"And you're sure it's all ok?" Sasha asked for the third time.

"Yes! Yes, of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Olaf snapped back. He had managed to avoid the subject of the ice base for a while now but, sure enough Sasha had finally mentioned it over dinner. He had just spent the last 15 minutes explaining that, yes, the ice base did report and, yes, everything is dandy, yes, which includes Colin. It was tedious but he had to put the collective minds of Blue Moon command at ease. Sasha looked like she was about to ask another question, so Olaf took the initiative.

"Now, Sasha, if you'll excuse me I have some rather pressing business. I do have a town to rebuild if you hadn't noticed." He gestured to the view from the refectory window to emphasise his point. Sasha said nothing, but she nodded and saluted curtly. Olaf returned it and half-marched, half-waddled away to the command centre.

"You can come out now." Sasha said to the cupboard. It creaked open.

"Well, wasn't that an interesting l'il conversation." Grit stepped out and worked the cramp out of his long scrawny legs. It was slightly cruel, Sasha thought, to cram all six-and-a-half feet of him in the refectory store cupboard but he had volunteered himself. Grit had been good to her and Colin.

"So what did you find out earlier?"

"Oh, I jes' quizzed the comms team a l'il bit."

"And…"

"Nothin'."

"What?"

"They wouldn't say nothin'. Classified. I'd say they were told ta' keep quiet if y' ask me. " Sasha gritted her teeth. "Hey darlin', I know you're worried 'bout your brother. Colin's a strong guy, I would know. I taught him everythin' he knows." That made her smile. She used to hate it when Grit called her "darlin'" but she'd gotten used to it. That, and she'd come to respect the fact that he was the only one with the stones to do it.

"Thank you Grit. Please let me know if anything comes up. Until then, I'll keep an eye on Komrade Kommissar Olaf." Grit nodded and turned to leave.

Redmond was in a bad way. Lash barely saw him outside of his armour. His shoulder-length bleached blonde hair was matted with blood, as were the dressings that covered most of his body. His narrow escape from the missile attack on the recon squad had left him burned and scarred. He was a stark contrast to the pristine, white medical suite that surrounded them. He had just come around. The lieutenant looked up at Lash and tears ran down his blistered face.

"I'm so sorry Commander. I've failed you again. If you wish it I will take my own life." Lash held up a finger. "Silly man! You actually want to die or something? Geez! You were following orders." Lash looked away mournfully. "My orders." Redmond tried to smile.

"Yes ma'am! Sorry ma'am!" he struggled to utter with cracked, charred lips.

"What did you find out there Lieutenant?" Lash leaned on his chest. It hurt him a little but he enjoyed the feeling. She was a bit young for him to form a romantic relationship but she was still very pretty and he had always been close to her and Hawke.

"My helmet…check the video feed from my helmet. It's all stored on there. It was like a Neotank. It had indirect fire capabilities too."

"Thank you Lieutenant." Redmond attempted a salute which Lash returned. There was a knock at the door and Lash, knowing who it was, summoned Colin inside.

"Anything to r-report?" he enquired.

"Yep! Get Redmond's helmet-cam hooked up to a monitor and ask Rachel to meet us in the War Room." Colin nodded and Lash breezed pat him, beckoning him to follow. He was about to do so when a dry voice called out to him.

"Commander…Colin, isn't it?" He turned to the injured lieutenant.

"Y-yes…"

"She was right." A puzzled look flashed onto Colin's face.

"Excuse m-me?"

"She was right all along." The stricken man smiled.

"About wh…."

"COLIN!" Lash called. The acoustics of the corridor seemed to amplify her impatience.

"Go to her. You'll see."

Hawke held the field glasses up to his face after another perimeter check. This was the closest he'd dared to come to the enemy coordinates and there was no such thing as being too careful. Yes, these two were the only ones patrolling this area. He had managed to track the Neotank-type weapon back to its point of origin. It hadn't been a mammoth task but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He shouldered the silenced sub-machine gun and peered through the sights. At least he could be sure he wasn't killing his own men. All of the soldiers under his command had defected with him to the Allied Nations. He lined the weapon up with the seam between one of the soldiers' helmets and the main body of his armour. The firing mechanism coughed and a tiny filament of oil-smoke rose from the barrel. Steel on target. Before he could realise what had just occurred, the other sentry met a similar fate to his comrade.

"Amateurs…" he muttered to himself, but he was cut off by a loud rumbling. It's not often that Commander Hawke of Black Hole finds himself fleeing blindly, but even men like him have their limits. Tactical retreats are commonplace, being a steady and controlled affair. However, when a tank column is vomited from the very ground in front of you, only one response will do: RUN! After a hundred or so metres of sprinting, he turned back in amazement. Ah…. So that's where their base entrance is, he thought. He dropped and rolled into cover in quick succession. He reached for his field glasses. He watched tank after tank pour out of the opening. It was beginning; He could only hope that Lash stayed true to the way she was brought up rather than pandering to the Allied notion of tactics. It all hinged on her next few decisions. Hawke hated feeling this powerless but he liked to think his raising of the girl was his way of controlling the out come of this situation. With that, he retreated from the wood, the sounds of his movements drowned out by the cacophony of armoured vehicles.

"Colin, rewind to the first sighting of the…uh…whatever it was." Ordered Rachel. "Back a bit…keep going…THERE!" She shouted, pointing to the projection screen. They had been reviewing Redmond's helmet-cam and taking down a play-by-play of the whole incident when Rachel had noticed something interesting. "Now play the recording from there at one-eighth speed." She smiled to herself as she saw the mobile weapon, which looked curiously like a neotank, rise from the earth. Colin was goggle-eyed.

"D-did that thing c-come from ground?" he asked with a mixture of awe and glee.

"Yeps!" Lash giggled. "So that means…" She waved her slim, pale hand in a way that signalled someone to finish her sentence.

"W-w-w…" Colin stopped, coughed, and tried again. "We know where their base is!"

"Got it in one!" Lash chirruped with a wink.

"So does that mean those coordinates could have been sent by Hawke after all?" Rachel chipped in. She seemed slightly embarrassed at the revelation, having berated Lash for believing what seemed to be an obvious deception, but she was glad that lives hadn't been wasted on nothing. Silence descended upon the War Room as the COs thought this possibility over. Lash eventually broke the silence.

"Meh." She grunted, "I'm gonna call it a night." punctuating the end of her sentence with a spectacular yawn. She saluted and Rachel returned it.

"Dismissed, Commander Lash." The ranking Co nodded. Lash gave Colin a little smile and sauntered out of the room. Rachel was preparing to retire herself when she caught sight of Colin's face. "You've been making a habit of grinning inanely of late, Commander Colin. Any particular reason why?"

"Oh n-nothing really. J-just… I think I might have a thing about goth-girls."

Morning seemed normal for once to Sergeant Paul Brightling. Usual drill, usual post, one more day closer to going home. Thinking about home made him forget about the bitter cold, and out here anything that could make you forget about the cold was a godsend. This state of almost tranquillity, however, was destined to break down into the smell of fear and the sounds of fighting and death. All this happened between the perimeter alarm sounding and the first shell slamming into the outermost ring of barricades.


	5. Chapter 5: The Gears of War

**Something to Prove**

**Chapter 5**

The enemy attack had begun at approximately nine A.M. local time. It was spearheaded by an armoured column and supported by mechanised infantry and artillery. The black-hole advance hit the southernmost outer wall first, where it was met by Sergeant Brightling's infantry unit and the 3rd Blue Moon armoured division.

"Retreat to the second line!" bellowed the sergeant. Usually, one armoured division against another would have been a fairly even fight, but the enemy's grinding artillery fire meant allied tanks were going up like fluff in a cheap toaster. "5th rocket troop? Specialist Wilcox, Do you read?"

"Loud and clear sarge. Bombardment will commence when your troops reach the second defence line." Brightling nodded to himself. The second line was a lot more solidly built. The tank traps would halt the armoured advance and Wilcox's rockets would neutralise even long-range artillery. That would be where the true defence of the base would be staged. The stern but still cool voice of Commander Rachel piped up on the comms.

"All troops be advised, a second wave is approaching from the southwest and will arrive in two hours. They have rockets and neotanks, repeat, rockets and neotanks. All anti- armour units report to the south wall, second defence line." Dammit, thought Brightling, is this attack never gonna end?

Well, thought Adder, the attack is under way. Now we can finally deal with the prisoners. He strode into the command room and saluted to the armoured bulk of Sturm. Next to Sturm stood Koal, reunited with his tanto, freshened up and dressed in the uniform of Old Black Hole. The bolt-guard traitor would be the one to carry out the execution to prove his loyalty. On cue the prisoners were dragged (or wheeled in Jugger's case) before the assembled officers. Kindle was at death's door anyway, looking haggard but still somehow putting up a fight, albeit a purely verbal one.

"Filthy dog!" she spat at Koal, who looked away in self- disgust. Adder chortled jovially as he read out the charges of treason for both prisoners. He gestured for the execution to be carried out.

"Would you like to say anything before you rid us of your pitiful excuses for former comrades, Koal?" the stick-thin man smirked.

"Actually, I'd like to say something to Commander Sturm." The short CO replied confidently. "Sir, what I'd like to say is…Activation code, zero, niner, Koal, five, three, epsilon."

The giant armoured monster frowned.

"Koal! What the hell are you…..HURK…AKK…." Sturm slumped forward and was silent.

"TRAITOR!" screamed Adder, reaching for his sidearm. He managed to draw it and was about to fire when the world went dark. Sturm stood over the unconscious frame of the lanky CO.

"Clone 0953E active and ready for orders." he droned. Koal smiled.

The War Room, usually a quiet and solemn place, was frantic with activity. A diagrammatic drawing of the base was scrolled out on the central table and numbered, coloured blocks were scattered about its surface, representing allied and enemy units. A large number of blue and orange blocks were concentrated on the 2nd defence line. Black blocks formed a wedge. Colin shuffled them further along as Lash relayed the coordinates to him. Rachel was trying to remain phlegmatic and calm in her radio manner. However, the frosty exterior was beginning to crack, and her choler at the surprise attack was seeping through, Colin could see. Lash's subordinates came to relieve the COs to allow them to re plan their strategy. Colin and Lash gladly accepted the relief but Rachel defiantly stayed at the helm, her sense of duty overriding fatigue. Colin joined Lash outside of the War Room's colossal doors.

"W-wow, Rach is really going for it! She's r-really coping well considering how sudden the attack was eh?" said Colin, making conversation.

"We're not going to win"

"Huh?" Colin was stunned by the frankness of Lash's statement.

"If we go on with this plan, with these troops we will not win." She was looking at the floor, deep in thought.

"B-but this is a textbook defence manoeuvre, tried and tested…"

"Which is exactly why it won't work you idiot!" the girl snapped. Her face was instantly full of regret as she glimpsed Colin's crestfallen expression. "Sorry. I'm a product of Black Hole, remember? I…I just know this stuff ok?" Product. The word scratched at Colin's conscience like nails on a blackboard. No Lash, you're not a product, not a product, NOT A PRODUCT…

"YOU'RE NOT A PRODUCT, YOU'RE A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING!" Colin belted the words out of his lungs with full force involuntarily, like steam being blown out of a pressure valve. Lash looked at the Blue Moon CO with wide eyes. Colin blushed. "Uhhhm a-a-anyway did you try telling R-rachel that you didn't think her plan wouldn't work?"

"I tried, but do you think Miss Tin Soldier in there would do anything she wasn't taught at the academy?"

"Point conceded" Colin sighed. She was right. Although Rachel was an excellent commander, her expertise was strictly inside the metaphorical box. "So, I take it by your confidence in our f-failure, you've got a better p-plan then?"

"Yeps! Well spotted cutie!" Lash chirped, her mood lifting at the slightest recognition of her genius. "Now then… judging by the enemy numbers, they've stumbled across a giant factory from the second war right?" she paused to make sure Colin was keeping up.

"We've already established that. W-what's your point?"

"My point is, those factories can pump out units faster than reality TV can pump out cruddy C-list celebrities. Our force is strong, compact and well maintained, but we have no reinforcements and will eventually fall. We need to cut the head off the snake!"

"Infiltration!"

"Ah, Colin you're catching on! We need to reassemble the Schwarzdonner."

"You what?"

"You'll see." The Schwarzdonner were a Black Hole special forces unit under the private command of Commander Lash. Formed in the second war, they were masters of infiltration, espionage and assassination. There were nine of them, senior NCOs, lead by one Lieutenant Augustus Redmond. "One more thing Colin." Lash beckoned the boy closer. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?" To the astonishment of both parties concerned, he leaned forward and kissed her.

Another dull day at Orange Star command, nearly over, thought Jake as he changed the track on his MP3 player. It was then that the most interesting occurrence of the entire day came to pass. The computer bleeped and flashed at him, barely noticeable over his "Bangin' Choons" as he called them. Wearily he read the screen. "Encrypted priority message received." it said. He opened the file and read the contents:

Sender: CO Sasha

Recipient: CO Jake

Olaf lying scumbag

Ice base in danger!!!111!!!

Assist?

END

He quickly composed a reply:

Sender: CO Jake

Recipient: CO Sasha

Word!

You bet yo sweet ass!

END


	6. Chapter 6: Black Thunder

Something to Prove

**Something to Prove **

**Chapter 6**

The air was cold and dank, and a chill worked its way through Koal's bones as he and Jugger, now restored to his mechanical body, looked down at the fresh grave. Kindle was dead. She had finally succumbed to the injuries inflicted by Sturm's torture on the eve of her liberation. Koal refused to blame himself, if he had attempted to activated the Sturm clone's command codes any earlier then he probably would have failed and they'd all be dead. He still had a deep feeling of loss at her passing, however and shed a tear beneath his mask. Jugger's bulbous mass remained completely stationary and Koal could only wonder what was happening inside his polycarbonate armoured head. Surprisingly, it was Jugger who broke the silence.

"What now?" He said, simply. What now indeed. Kindle had always been the decision maker. The factory was producing automated units at an astonishing rate and these units were being directed to attack the nearby allied base. He decided to continue the attack even if just to buy some time. What really interested him was the other treasure that was hidden in these caves, the hydrogen bombs. They were mostly dismantled for transport by Sturm's technicians but one was still ready to use. These bombs had the power to devastate entire cities and poison the land and air for years. These were weapons truly worthy of the Bolt Guard. The prepared missiles could be taken away for reverse-engineering but this remaining one would be his leaving present for the allied scum. This land was killed once with ice and now it would be killed again with fire.

Warrant Officer Kara Steiner fired one last round from her recoilless gun mount at the approaching armour column and threw herself away from the weapon as it was systematically targeted and destroyed. She knew before she had been told that the enemy units were autonomous. It made them fearless and unflinching but also incredibly predictable. She had been part of Black Hole's Special Forces during the second war, she was a pro and wasn't afraid to let others know. She zigzagged her way back to cover receiving awed stares from some of the newer recruits and knowing smiles from the veterans. She was about to renew her attack when she was addressed by an Orange Star sergeant.

"Sergeant Brightling ma'am, I have orders directly from Commander Lash." The large, muscular man handed her a sealed note. She took about five seconds to read the page and darted off towards HQ immediately without another word. Brightling watched her leave and could only chuckle to himself. Mistress Lash definitely had some interesting comrades. A shell whistling over his head reminded him of where he was and he returned his attention to the fighting.

Further inside the defensive lines, the scene was less frantic, Kara noticed. Assemble at warehouse 3B, the orders had said, signed by Commander Lash herself. Even before she stepped inside, she had a feeling about what would await her. Nine familiar faces standing in line. Nine familiar battle suits, in pristine condition. At their head, Commander Lash and Lt. Redmond. The Schwarzdonner were back.

"Warrant Officer Steiner," Redmond announced with a warm grin that could not even be hindered by his burns, "fall in." She did so with a salute and a nod.

"I believe that's all of us." Lash continued with the briefing. The plan was to use the sewage channels to leave the base unnoticed by either the enemy or the allied forces and enter the enemy base via the entrance found on Redmond's helmet-cam. Getting out was going to be difficult however, if they took out the factory, it was bound to go up pretty spectacularly, but if they left too much time on the demo charges there would be a good chance that they would be defused. They would have to hope they could exit the blast radius quickly enough or find a faster exit when they are down there.

"So basically," Redmond piped up, "we have to play it by ear and pray for a miracle." Lash just smiled at him.

"Yeppers! Anyone got a better idea?"

"No Ma'am!" The Schwarzdonner chorused. They raised their state-of-the-art submachine guns into the air as they did so, as high as their Black Hole battle suits would allow them to.

"Then let's move out!" Lash screamed with maybe a little too much excitement. Around the corner, Colin watched her leave. 'Stay where it's safe.' She had told him before calling the meeting. He was just supposed to let her go and risk her life. She wasn't going alone but he still felt a sense of malaise about the mission. He wondered if it would be the last time he'd see her. He couldn't let it be. He just couldn't.

Before Koal was the most magnificent yet terrible sight he had ever seen. Such a powerful weapon didn't disappoint aesthetically either. The hydrogen bomb was beautiful, and it would bring death to those who would desecrate the name of the Bolt Guard. He placed a hand on the cold metal shell of the missile to which the warhead was attached. He could almost feel the malevolence of the weapon's purpose seeping out of it and the nature of the weapon's creator, Lash. Formerly Black Hole's wunderkind and now an allied dog like the rest of them. Koal had served with the girl briefly during the third war and had seen first hand how she became less and less of a manic sociopath, and by extension less and less brilliant. No wonder she had joined the Allies.

"This is idiocy!" A strained voice cried from behind him. He turned to see his prisoner, Adder, escorted by the silent Sturm clone and Jugger who, next to the clone, seemed almost human.

"Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion?" Inquired Koal, smirking under his mask.

"Black Hole's role is to conquer! How can you conquer this land if you destroy it?" Adder wailed desperately.

"Adder, let's be realistic here. This land is gone, lost to the Allies. How sweet would it be, though, to snatch their victory straight from their hands Adder? Does that not appeal to you?" Adder's expression changed as he listened to Koal. He seemed to be considering the short man's words. "Now then, I will give you the opportunity that you gave me. Join us and cast aside the old philosophy that you cling to so dearly."

"How can you trust me?" Adder asked, his face suddenly shifting into a dagger-eyed glare. "How do you know I won't do the same to you that you did to me?"

"Do you have an eight-foot Sturm Clone to suddenly unveil?" Koal riposted. The tall, slender man had no choice but to concede that point. "Speaking of which, if you even try anything suspicious, that thing will rip you open before you can say 'Oh dear I broke a nail!'. Get me?" Koal finished pushing his masked face close to his prisoner's. Adder finally nodded. The small man turned his attention to his comrade.

"Did you find the other one, y'know, the shaved gorilla?"

"Search inconclusive, subject Flak: Location unknown." Jugger droned, the humanity Koal saw in him earlier completely erased.

"Well send the Sturm clone after him, he can't run for ever."

"On that subject:" Jugger began to speak again. Koal noticed that he was no longer speaking out loud but was speaking directly into his comm.-link. "The clone has been showing…irregular activity. This takes the form of speech ticks and bodily twitches. I suggest maintaining surveillance at all times"

"Very well." Koal's answer came, causing Adder to crease his face in a puzzled frown because, of course, he had no idea what Koal was answering to.

Lash grimaced as the smell of the sewage system reached her unwilling nostrils. She was beginning to wish she had worn one of the standard battle suits. She had opted for lighter fatigues and jacket armour to make the most of her agility. She was also able to make use of her natural hearing as well; she hated relying on the battle suit's sensors. She sighed and trudged onwards. But something wasn't right.

She spun around and hissed into her comm.-link.

"Movement at 6o'clock."

"Behind us? Are you positive?" Redmond radioed to confirm.

"Yes I'm positive!" She hissed angrily, causing the Lieutenant's eyes to widen. The sound of movement slowly took form. Footsteps, one person, getting closer. The Schwarzdonner had taken up covered firing positions in the debris in the tunnel, forming fields of fire in both directions. Lash felt reassured by the team's professionalism. A silhouette appeared in the tunnel and the rear facing team all drew a bead on the dark shape and tightened their grips to the first pressure on the triggers of their weapons.

"Uhm…H-hello?" A voice echoed down the tunnel from the direction of the figure in the dark. Lash buried her face in the palm of her hand.

"Rear fire team, stand down. Forward team, maintain watch." She announced through gritted teeth. She then took off towards the shape. Her suspicions were confirmed as she approached the figure. Stood there, in arctic combat fatigues and a Blue moon beret, ankle deep in raw sewage was Colin.

"C-c-commander Lash! I…" The rest of the sentence was drowned out by the colossal, barefaced slap that Lash landed on the Blue Moon CO's cheek. He looked at her, wide eyed and clutching the reddened area of his face. She didn't look angry though, there were tears in her eyes.

"You idiot…you big idiot. I thought I told you to stay where it's safe."

"I c-couldn't let you go alone. Not if there was a chance I w-would never see you again." Lash tried to argue with this but she succumbed to sobbing. She suddenly stood up straight, her face cheery and manic again, her emotional armour back in place.

"Well ya better do everything 'Gus tells you to do, you read me?" Colin was taken aback

"Gus?" He inquired.

"That would be me." Redmond chipped in as he approached the two young COs. He turned to Lash who made a poor attempt to hide the fact that she had been crying. "Are we ready to move out?"

"Yup yup!" the girl chirped. Shortly after, the Schwarzdonner resumed their advance into the sewage system.

Rachel was beginning to feel fatigued now, she was beyond tired. She turned to one of the war room operators.

"Could you summon Commanders Lash and Colin please?" she asked. One of them should have relieved her hours ago. A couple of minutes later, the reply came:

"Sorry ma'am. No-one can find them anywhere, although there are reported sightings of them leaving the base. My apologies ma'am." Rachel's reaction brought the whole war room to a momentary standstill. She laughed. It was a wheezing, screeching, hysterical laugh that chilled all who heard it to bone. She stopped and hung her head in her hands. They had abandoned her. She had been betrayed she was going to die here. As if to confirm the thoughts racing through her head, a voice on the radio screamed.

"Fall back! Fall Back! The second line of defence has fallen! Retreat!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the wait everyone! The good news is that the rest of the chapters have been planned. There will be 3 more slightly shorter chapters to go which will be uploaded as soon as they're done (hopefully quicker than this one was). There will probably be no sequel unless everyone pokes me repeatedly for one in which case I might be able to. The next project I would like to do though is a fanfic for the Sega Saturn game "Burning Rangers". Watch this space everyone!


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